Sacramento Firefighter Adopts Pit Bull Mix Puppy Found Near Debris Fire, His Second Foster Fail
Courtesy of sacramentofire / Instagram
Most of the time, failure is something to be avoided. But in the case of one firefighter and puppy in Sacramento, Calif., a "foster failure" is the best ending possible.
On the morning of April 12, Sacramento firefighters were called to the scene of a debris fire under the Interstate 80 bridge in north Sacramento. In addition to putting out the blaze, the fire crews made a special rescue: a small pit bull mix puppy who was found in the vicinity of the blaze.
Firefighters with @SacFirePIO found this puppy while they were putting out the flames underneath the I-80 bridge just west of Norwood Ave. The puppy is doing well and there were no injuries. pic.twitter.com/RGqj1tmevi
— Eytan Wallace (@EytanWallace) April 12, 2022
The puppy suffered no injuries from the smoke or heat of the nearby fire, so firefighters handed him off to animal control authorities, who took him to the Front Street Animal Shelter. While they began the search for the little fellow's forever home, Sacramento firefighter Mike Thawley took the pup in as a foster dog. The pup joined Thawley's other dog—an American Staffordshire terrier named Chunk, who can very much relate to the little guy's story. What happened next was probably inevitable.
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In a video posted to Instagram by the Sacramento Fire Department on April 27, Thawley unveils the puppy's new name: Loki, after a Norwegian god of fire (and tricks). Thawley also lets people in on little Loki's future life.
"He will be adopted," Thawley said in the video. "And he will have a big sister named Chunk, because Loki will be living with us."
Chunk came into Thawley's life the same way: About five years ago, Sacramento fire crews rescued her while responding to a fire. Someone had chained her to a fence, and she had mange and no hair, Thawley said. The animal shelter placed her with Thawley as a foster before he decided she was too precious to give up and adopted her for good.
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Now, Chunk has a new little brother to show the ropes. "[Pit bulls are] definitely a breed that is misunderstood," Thawley said in the video. "But definitely one of the most family friendly and loving breeds out there at the same time."
